Chapter Nineteen #2
“There are a couple of pieces we didn’t have, and some of the verification helps considerably.” She shifted to Reo. “It’s good information and corroboration.”
“So the immunity holds?”
At Reo’s nod, Eve said, “It holds. My advice, since you got this free pass? Find another line of work, because you won’t get another one.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been thinking.”
“Think harder. Now, let’s go over a few points.”
“First? Ah, the Interpol thing.”
“I’ll handle it. It’ll be easier to handle if you know anything about the auction.”
Now Jenna smiled. “I’m not supposed to. Being as I’m not a trusting sort of person, I laid a couple of bugs in the villa. There had to be an auction if they wanted to make anything, and let me tell you, the woman, she’s all about making it. I didn’t like her one bit.”
Points for you, Eve thought.
“New York, that’s the plan. I can’t tell you where, don’t know if they’d decided at that point, but she insisted on New York. He wanted Europe, but she’s the type most men don’t say no to. I can sure as hell describe her for you.”
“No need.”
“I heard you were good. Anyway, big splash. She wanted that. Elegant, luxurious, plenty of security, but discreet so it doesn’t bump too hard against the elegance.
She wanted to have it all planned out before the heist, so they could turn it over fast. I know she wanted to set an entrance fee.
A cool five mil just to attend. Keep it small, exclusive. Top it off at two dozen at the most.
“She ran that show, too. ‘Leave it to me, lover.’ She talked on the ’link to somebody a few times.
Not a man—different tone. More businesslike.
Ah, she wanted the next payment, said things were falling into place, and she’d certainly make sure that it was absolutely clear so the person on the ’link could do what she needed to do. ”
“Did she say what that was?”
“Not exactly, but I heard her say something, sort of annoyed, about him not being her problem when they’d done their part.
That the other woman would have what she wanted.
I think now? The ‘him’ was Nathan Barrister.
I didn’t know, I swear it. I’d never have taken the job if I’d known.
Somebody wanted him dead, Lieutenant. The bitch in Sorrento?
She wouldn’t give a shit one way or the other.
She just wanted the emeralds, and what they’d bring her.
I heard her talking to the broker once, and she said something like joy was an easy mark, and now she’d have payback and a payday in one big, shiny package. ”
“‘Joy was an easy mark’?”
“Yeah, like I said, all she wants is the money—that’s what makes her happy. You know, brings the joy.”
“Right.” Eve took out her ’link, scrolled, then turned it to Jenna. “Do you recognize this woman?”
“That’s her! That’s the bitch.”
“Can you be more specific?”
“The Magdelana bitch in Sorrento who called herself Genevieve, and orchestrated this whole fucked-up mess.”
“All right. The terms of the agreement require you to remain in New York. I’d advise you to stay right here.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I want you to bag her. I want to know when you do.”
“A few details. You used a jammer to shut down Barrister House security.”
“Yeah. I figure she probably had the way in without that, but wanted the cops to see it different.”
“Let’s have it. And the device used on the electronic window lock.”
Jenna slumped a little, let out a sigh. “Yeah. Fine. I’ll go get them.”
When she left the room, Wenn turned to Eve. “I assume you’re satisfied Jenna has been truthful and forthcoming, as your investigation had already unearthed some of the details she’s given you.”
“That’s correct.”
“And she has provided more details as well as confirmed what you’d learned in the course of your investigation.”
“Also correct.”
“The PA’s office is satisfied,” Reo said.
Jenna brought in her tools, handed them to Eve.
“It was such loose security, I only needed a mini. I want to say something. If I hadn’t wanted to get some sleep, I’d have taken a red-eye back to Savannah.
But I’d have heard about the murder at some point, and I’d have come back.
I’d have come back to do just what I’ve done. ”
Eve passed the devices to Peabody. “I believe you.”
“When you bag her, she’ll roll on whoever did the murder.”
“Yes, she will.”
After a long, probing look, Jenna nodded. “But you won’t give her immunity.”
“Not in a thousand years. You played this smart, Jenna. Keep doing that. Stay put.”
Peabody waited until they all rode down in the elevator.
“Whoa and a wow, and a bang, bang, boom!”
“Save the boom until we have the auction location.”
“Dallas, Willowby says today for that. McNab’s on board, and says Feeney says the same. They just need a few more nibbles.”
Eve looked at Roarke.
“Yes.”
“The immunity’s going to hold,” Reo put in, “whether or not you recover the emeralds. Wenn will make sure of it, but my boss is going to be a lot happier if you get them back, take down the rest.”
“Then happiness is coming because that’s just what we’re going to do. And we’re going to hand you Nathan Barrister’s killer. Magdelana wasn’t talking about happiness when she said Joy’s an easy mark. Joy Barrister.”
“Give me a motive.”
“He’d been in her way all her life, taken first place. She wanted him gone.”
Eve moved quickly through the garage.
“She didn’t care about the vault, what was in it. She cared that their father left it all to her brother. All of it. She cared he left his son the bulk of his business, put him in charge. Not her, never her.”
“Take the front, Peabody,” Roarke said as Eve got behind the wheel.
“Killing him doesn’t change any of that,” Reo pointed out.
“The widow isn’t going to take charge of Zip. She’ll lean on her sister-in-law there. And all that stuff her father collected over the years? Her brother’s not getting the credit for turning it in. Hell no. She’ll get it.”
“She must’ve hated him,” Peabody murmured. “To do what she did, how she did it.”
“That’s exactly right.”
Eve bulled her way through traffic as a way to vent her anger. “She hated him because her father favored him. Hated him because he had a solid marriage, a loving family. Hated him for living his happy life in the house where she’d grown up.”
“She was an easy mark,” Roarke agreed. “Magdelana would play on that hate, scrape the masking layers off it. And give her a way to take what she wanted.”
“They met up, right here in New York last December. That’s when it started.”
“If so, we’re talking premeditated on Joy Barrister and conspiracy to commit for Magdelana Percell.”
“That’s what I’m going to drop in your lap. And I meant that thousand years, Reo.”
“I heard you. I’ll update my boss from Central because I want to see how close you are to dropping this into our lap, and adding a whole bunch of emeralds along with it.”
“Peabody, book a conference room. I need about an hour prior, then we’re doing a full briefing. I’d like ten minutes with Mira in my office if she’s free. I’ll work around her schedule.”
She flicked a glance in the rearview, saw that Roarke appeared absorbed in whatever he did on his PPC.
“All your detectives?” Peabody asked as she got to work.
“If someone’s on a hot, they can skip and read the record. Have Uniform Carmichael pick half a dozen officers. Inform the commander. Put Lowenbaum on tap.
“When we get the time, date, location, we’ll have an op in place, which we’ll then refine to suit the venue. Bunch of filthy rich people bidding on these emeralds? They’ll have their own security. The venue will have more security.”
“And Abernathy?”
“Yeah, bring him in. Feeney pulls in who he wants from EDD.”
“You don’t think Joy Barrister will be at the auction.”
“No, Reo, I don’t. I just need to work out how and when we take her so I can drop her in your lap.”
“She’ll have the best legal team billions can buy.”
“She’s going to tell me how and why she killed her brother. I know how to play an easy mark, too. And she’s going to roll right over on the others involved in the theft. I need a warrant for her condo. Search and seizure.”
“How about some solid probable cause?”
“They moved up the break-in. Aileen Carville was due to leave for a weekend girls’ trip at some spa with a couple of friends.
They planned to go in on Saturday when she was gone, pretty much do what was done.
But Nathan gets sick—and his wife would’ve canceled her plans.
Move it up a night, when they’re not sharing a bed. ”
“Solid speculation, but—”
“She paid an assassin to kill Eve,” Roarke said it mildly as he worked. “I have the particulars on that. It seems that’s enough to hang a warrant on.”
“Give me those particulars and it’s done.”
“I’m betting she got the contact for the asshole who tried to stick me from Magdelana. I prove that? It puts Joy Barrister in for the hire, and Magdelana in for conspiracy to murder a police office.”
“That is correct.”
“I’m willing to use that as a lever, deal with them on it if—”
“The hell you say.” Roarke snapped it out. “You bloody well won’t.”
“Neither of them are going to see the outside again, so—”
“No, bollocks to that.”
“I find myself in agreement with the bollocks,” Reo said, and Peabody chimed in.
“Add me to that. You could maybe deal with the fact a man died—their hire—in the commission of a felony, which they conspired to set up. So they don’t do another twenty-five to life on that one.
“Anyway,” she said before Eve could speak. “We’ve got the conference room, all are so informed. And Mira can actually give you that ten in about fifteen minutes, and will come to you.”
“Good. Excellent fast work, Peabody.” Eve pulled into Central’s garage. “And a solid take on the rest. I can work with that.”
She got out, moved fast again toward the elevator. “I can set you up with a desk, Reo.”
“I have my spots.”
“Peabody, set up the basics in the conference room. Roarke—”
“I’m for EDD, yes.”
When the doors opened, she let out a huff of breath. “I know you can do it, and we’re going to look the other way so you can do it. I don’t want this damn elevator stopping on every floor.”
Reo didn’t bother to look away when Roarke swiped a card and the car started its upward climb.
“That’s really handy. I end up taking the stairs and the glides about half the time. I’ll be in the briefing,” she told Eve. “And you’ll have your search-and-seizure warrant shortly.”
“Counting on it.” When the elevator opened, she turned to Roarke. “Location, time.”
“You’ll have them. New York, likely somewhere on Long Island, and tonight.”
“What?”
“A few more layers cleaned off on the drive downtown. We’ll have exact before long, but plan around that.”
She held the door open. “Tonight?”
“Tonight, yes. Give us that hour. I think we may have a great deal more to add to your briefing.”
“Why didn’t you— Never mind. Go.”
She stepped out, let the doors close.
“Get us set up, Peabody.”
“Check it.”
“Get me that warrant, Reo.”
She walked into the bullpen, deliberately turned away before she could so much as glimpse Jenkinson’s tie.
“Unless we’re under attack, I need an hour. Send Mira in whenever she gets here.”
She went in, got coffee. Then she stood at her skinny window and started working in her head on logistics—needed the venue, the security, the blueprints—but the basics she could outline.
And timing.
She took a long drink. Somewhere, likely within the next twelve to eighteen hours, she’d have Magdelana in the box.
She didn’t have the words to express just how much she looked forward to that.
Until then, Eve reminded herself, she needed to put that immense satisfaction aside. Because she needed to get her there first.
And she needed to bring Nathan Barrister’s killer to justice.
She turned back to her board.
“Got a pretty good idea how to do it, all of it. Just need to refine it some.”
Meanwhile.
She added Magdelana’s sketch and her official ID shot to her board.
Stepped back, smiled.
She added James Mulligan, and had a glimmer of satisfaction.
Then she sat at her desk and started refining her pretty good idea.